Gluten-free Dairy-free Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Muffins

… Cinnamon Roll Recipe Meets Muffin Recipe … When Good Collides!

It’s Back-to-School season. This means your schedule becomes more hectic. More activities to juggle. Homework to be done. Morning schedules to be kept. With that in mind, I want to make sure you know that these muffins can be made ahead, say on the weekend, and then kept in the fridge during the week. You can simply rewarm them in the microwave on those busy school day mornings. Match one up, or two, with some dairy-free yogurt and fresh fruit, and you’ve just given your kids (or yourself) a solid start to the day. Sound like a plan? Now, let’s get to it!

I Iove cinnamon rolls but sometimes I grow bored with the same “standard” recipe … even though cinnamon rolls are so yummy! Does this ever happen to you with one of your favorite recipes?

Well, that’s how I’m feeling today. So I’ve taken my favorite, years-old and trusted gluten-free, dairy-free cinnamon roll recipe and kicked it up a notch … or five. I’m sharing five ways to make gluten-free, dairy-free cinnamon rolls in one recipe. Then we’re turning them into muffins.

You’ll start with the same basic biscuit dough that we’ve infused with warmly-scented cinnamon.

Then you’ll give it a light spreading of softened non-dairy buttery spread, a coating of brown sugar, and a dusting of more cinnamon. And the goodness continues …

With just a few changes to this basic cinnamon roll recipe, i.e. including various add-ins and one extra step in the cutting and forming process, we end up with:

Sausage and Scrambled Egg Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Muffins

Sausage Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Muffins

Blueberry and Coconut Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Muffins

Bacon Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Muffins

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Muffins

Everybody wants something different? No problem, you don’t have to make 5 different batches. Check out how easy it is to be a people-pleaser by simply creating sections of flavors on the dough prior to rolling it.

I find that using an icing spatula, frequently dusted with flour, makes the rolling of the dough into rolls so much easier. Just don’t rush the process. It’s a dust-scrape-roll, dust-scrape-roll process. It works. (Though my photo only shows the sections scored between “flavors”, the larger sections of egg & sausage, blueberries & coconut, and bacon & chocolate chips are later divided into multiple muffins.)

Once the dough is rolled into a log, score the sections to keep the flavors separated in their own rolls, then cut the log accordingly. Cut each section, once more, into quarters.

Now, here’s the tricky part (only because those little quarters like to collapse) … with your fingertips, just gather up the four little quarters and plop them into the muffin cup.

Once in the pan, the cinnamon rolls all get the same treatment … a brushing of melted gluten-free, vegan buttery spread, and a hot baking in the oven.

Directions

In a medium-size bowl, combine flour, guar gum, salt, baking powder, cream of tartar, sugar, and cinnamon (dough ingredients listed above). Stir together until well blended. Add half cup margarine. With fingers, crumble flour mixture and margarine together until small pea size crumbles form. Don’t overwork the dough. All the flour and margarine do not need to be completely blended. You can also put the ingredients into a food processor and quickly pulse until proper consistency. Add the milk and stir with a fork, or pulse a few more times to make a very soft ball of dough.

On a generously floured silpat, or a generously floured large sheet of parchment paper, place the ball of dough. Gently roll dough around on the floured surface to lightly coat and knead the flour into the dough. Re-flour the surface if dough begins to stick. Cover the dough ball with a piece of parchment paper. With a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a large rectangle until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. Peel away the top sheet of parchment paper. Square off the edges by pressing the dough gently into place. The dough should not extend past the bottom parchment paper or silpat. Spread the 2 Tablespoons softened butter over the entire surface of the dough, being careful not to tear the dough. With your hands, gently spread the three-quarter cup brown sugar over the buttery surface of dough until sugar is even. Sugar might begin to melt; that’s fine. Sprinkle the 1 Tablespoon cinnamon over the brown sugar layer.

Using a dull knife, gently score the dough into equal-sized sections without cutting all the way through the dough, approximately 8-10 sections total. Add your fillings into each of these sections as desired. (Though my photo only shows the sections scored between “flavors”, the larger sections of egg & sausage, blueberries & coconut, and bacon & chocolate chips are later divided into multiple muffins.)

Next, gradually and carefully lift the long side of the silpat or parchment paper and begin to gently roll the dough into a long log, using the paper or silpat as support and to encourage the rolling process. The dough may want to stick to the surface. If so, I find using an icing spatula, frequently dusted with flour, makes the rolling of the dough into rolls much easier. Just don’t rush the process. It’s a dust-scrape-roll, dust-scrape-roll process. Continue rolling until all the dough is in one long log, with the seam side of the log on the bottom. Pat the ends of the log to slightly seal them to keep the filling from spilling out. With a floured knife, slice the log into your pre-determined portions. If using a silpat, be careful not to cut it.

Cut each section, once more, into quarters. With your fingers, just gather up the four little quarters and plop them into the muffin cups. If they lose their shape, all the better. This allows the filling to better mix with the dough. Brush the top of each muffin with a little of the melted margarine.

Place rolls in preheated oven and bake for 14-16 minutes or until rolls are beginning to turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the dough comes out clean.

Remove muffins from oven and allow muffins to cool in pan for a few minutes. Transfer muffins to a cooling rack.

Serve warm or allow muffins to cool completely. Store any leftover muffins containing egg, sausage, or bacon in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Can be easily reheated in the microwave for 10-20 seconds, or until warm and tender. Muffins freeze well. To thaw, place in fridge overnight.